1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system and method for measuring a plurality of skills of an athlete, wherein the system is comprised of: a means for discharging and collecting a distance measuring means; a distance measuring means for measuring a distance to be used in measuring a desired athletic skill, wherein the distance measuring means further comprises a plurality of incremental markings substantially located along a length of the distance measuring means; and a securing means operatively connected to one end of the distance measuring means for securing the distance measuring means.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prior to the present invention, as set forth in general terms above and more specifically below, it is known in sports and other competitive fields, that there are tangible and intangible characteristics of athletes that coaches and managers are looking for in order to build a championship team. For example, an intangible or not easily measured characteristic could be the athlete's instincts or overall awareness of what is occurring in the game and how the athlete reacts to events that are going on in the game. On the other hand, a tangible or easily measured characteristic could be considered to be the athlete's speed, agility and quickness. Consequently, a more advantageous system, then, would be provided if the athlete's tangible characteristics such as speed, agility, and quickness (SAQ) could be easily measured.
It is also known, that a variety of SAQ drills are utilized in analyzing the speed and agility of athletes for various sports such as American football, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, tennis and others. Some of these drills are heavily relied upon in “combines” for football, baseball, and other various sports. Combines are central staging areas where coaches, scouts, agents, and other sports-related personnel can get a comprehensive and thorough evaluation of the performance of athletes in an equal setting and under the same conditions. Many of these combines are conducted at venues where it takes two (2) or more people to set up the various drills that measure SAQ skills. Often times the SAQ drills are set up by just placing other training apparatus such as cones or flags by either eyesight or by “stepping off” the distance between training apparatus for training. These methods often result in inaccurate distances. Consequently, when at an official combine with distances measured off correctly, the athlete may find that his combine times are adversely different than his training times.
Finally, these drills can be utilized in training during the off-season for athletes to work on their skills and conditioning to maintain a competitive edge for when their season begins and to help prevent injuries that could occur when not doing the training properly. Also, these drills can be used during the season for warm-ups, conditioning and skills needed for on the field competitiveness. Therefore, a further advantageous system, then, would be provided if the SAQ skills measuring device would be used to quickly, easily and accurately set up the training drills by one (1) person.
It is further known to employ measuring tapes to measure distances. Therefore, an even further advantageous system, then, would be presented if the SAQ Setup measured distances in yards, with markings resembling that on a football field. Preferably, this device will have smaller markings for the one (1) yard increments and wider/bolder markings for the five (5) yard and ten (10) yard increments. The bolder ten (10) yard increments will be marked with the actual distance, i.e. 10, 20, 30, 40 yards, etc. Consequently, with these markings, it would make it easier for a trainer to set up drills for the athletes they are training, thereby allowing more time and more repetitions for the athletes to train.
Finally, it is known to employ a device that is capable of measuring only a single SAQ skill such as speed or agility. Therefore, a still further advantageous system, then, would be provided if a plurality of SAQ drills could be provided in one device such that the device can be quickly, easily and accurately set up by one (1) person.
It is apparent from the above that there exists a need in the art for a system and method that can be used to measure a plurality of SAQ skills of an athlete by using one device in a quick, easy and accurate manner but can be set up by one (1) person. It is a purpose of this invention to fulfill this and other needs in the art in a manner more apparent to the skilled artisan once given the following disclosure.